Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

DIY

Victorian Sci Fi & Steampunk Love

Kat

June 1, 2010

Following on from yesterday's Steampunk-esque wedding, I wanted to share another - and this time, an all out authentically styled Victoriana wedding fest! Stacy & Eric got married in April and had one of the most incredible weddings fitting this theme that I have ever seen! The whole wedding was filled with circles - from old type writers, clocks and top hats to that truly incredible (and fully edible!) cake (made by Let Them Eat Cake in California - seriously go check out their website, they have cakes and designs like you've never seen before!) You are going to go nuts for these details - I am loving the typewriter/flower combo. It's like nothing I've ever seen. The centrepieces consisted of flowers, old books books, typewriters, gears, light bulbs, test tubes and had a real authentic Steampunk vibe. Stacey collected all the props throughout their planning and then gave them to florist Debbie Fields who put everything together on the day. The place names, which were made of old-looking train tickets (found at a craft store) had individual keys stuck to them that with significant words on them like 'life' and 'dreams'. The keys and gears on the place cards were found at a local craft store-they come from a scrapbook line by a guy named Tim Holtz.
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Victorian Steampunk & Fancy Dress Fun

Kat

May 31, 2010

Caroline & Connor's wedding had a distinctly Victorian/Steampunk vibe. As well as the bridal party, all the guests really got into the spirit and dressed up for the occasion in vintage dresses and attire which was practically much all put together by the amazing Trish Roush at House of Nines Design. Not only did she help out the guests with their outfits, but she dressed the bride and groom - including making those incredible hats!
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Pink, Bows, Music & Radical Wedding Love

Kat

May 28, 2010

So I was going to blog this next week but I literally can't wait. I saw Annette & Brian's totally gorgeous wedding on my friend Micheal Antonia's (aka the dj extroidinate behind The Flashdance) blog and like the lightning bolt that I am (when I come across something that's as awesome as this) I was straight in there with my request to feature it. So, alongside Micheal, the photographers Our Labor of Love and Annette & Brian themselves, I am more than ecstatic to share this way-too-rad wedding with you today.
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Rustic Retro with a Diy Charm

Kat

May 25, 2010

Fanni & Ben got married in April at Cripps Barn in Gloucestershire. Bored by the usual wedding stuff they found in magazines and at wedding shows, the pair turned to the internet for inspiration and luckily for them stumbled upon not only Rock n Roll Bride but a plethora of amazing ideas via some awesome American wedding blogs. "Back at the drawing board, I found myself scanning an array of American wedding blogs. All of which featured jaw-droppingly gorgeous weddings that looked amazing but had little or no information about weddings in the UK, and then I stumbled across your site!" Fanni told me "From that day on, Rock n Roll Bride truly was a breath of fresh air for me from everything else I had seen out there previously. Your site was reassuring that we didn't have to be confined to the norm or do things a certain way because it was tradition. Our wedding was our day, our way. We wanted our guests to have the best time and not be left thinking that they were just at....'another textbook wedding.' So, with much planning and evenings spent beavering away we managed to pull it all together."
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Retro Movie Themed Kansas City Wedding

Kat

May 15, 2010

You're going to love Erica & Ryan's homespun, diy wedding...and you're certainly going to love their story. I was over the moon to receive these gorgeous images from photographer Katie and even more chuffed when Erica got in touch with all the juicy details. "Ryan and I originally thought we would just have a courthouse wedding, and then have a big party. Of course, our parents were not so thrilled with the idea. We also did not want anyone else planning or making decisions for OUR wedding/party, because we did not want it to be the same old wedding and the same old reception that we've all attended twenty times before. Nothing against traditional weddings, we're just not traditional. We also were looking to keep it cheap simply because we think it's silly to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a few hours. All we really needed was the two of us looking snazzy and an amazing photographer."
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Jessica & John – DIY Vegas Wedding

Kat

May 12, 2010

Stand by for Las Vegas awesome - part deux! Jessica & John's diy fest. of a wedding makes me happieeee indeed. Not only does Jessica look ridiculously haaawt in her Oleg Cassinidress and homemade jacket but the whole affair was so personal and diy fabulous - who said Vegas wedding were tacky? Jessica spent a lot of time getting her diy projects just right. She made everything from the decor to the flowers, from the gift bags to the table runners and photo booth. Here is a run down of the whole shebang..
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What a Beautiful Day!

Kat

May 11, 2010

After featuring Alissa & Rich's crazy-stylish engagement last May, I couldn't wait to see their wedding and they certainly haven't disappointed! Alissa told me all about their 'vintage, rustic, chic' wedding. "After an extensive search for a photographer, we found Laura Grier at Beautiful Day Photography. We fell in love with her laid back photo-journalistic style and her infectious positive energy. Through Laura, we ended up finding our wedding location, Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse in Los Olivos, California, based on the photos from one of the gorgeous weddings she shot there."
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All the Colours of the Rainbow

Kat

May 8, 2010

Jackie & John's massively colour-filled wedding makes my heart sing with joy. Any couple who can't settle on one colour scheme and go for all the colours is awesome in my book. Those bridesmaids - oh yes! The wedding took place at 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky - an art gallery space that is quite minimalist so not to take away from the art on the walls. The couple let the venue do what it does best and didn't worry about adding their own decorations. "Decor was not a big priority to us because I respected the venue's integrity on it's own" Jackie told me. "I'm an art history major so it was great to find a venue that reflected that. Plus, 99% of our guests were from out of town, so it was nice to have everything - the ceremony, reception and after party - all under one roof. Everyone partied until they had to cut the band off and then simply staggered upstairs to bed. More than a few out of town guests thanked us for that. I can not speak highly enough of the staff there. We had taken our party upstairs to a couple of hotel rooms and the hotel was getting a couple noise complaints, but instead of telling us to keep it quiet and kill the party, they opened up a meeting room space down in the basement and let us bring our own food, drinks and iPod speakers in and stay as late as we want. My husband and I finally crawled away to our room at 3:30 am or so but I'm told people were in the meeting room until well past sunrise."
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Urban Grunge & Diy to Die for

Kat

May 7, 2010

Shaun & Jacinta must be every wedding photographer's dream clients! With Jacinta being a fashion designer and Shaun an illustrator, their wedding was always going to be too damn cool for words. Jacinta designed and made her own dress over 3-4 weeks which incorporated a print designed by Shaun (!) The pair worked together to decide on few ideas of what to have in the design to make it perfect for them and to represent both their families. They wanted it to include a Maltese cross to represent Jacinta’s heritage and one of Shaun’s mother’s favourite flowers, Chrysanthemums.
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Antique Market Dreams

Kat

May 7, 2010

I have much love for Chicago photographer Jeremy Lawson and it's always a pleasure to feature his Rock n Roll weddings - especially when they are as awesome as the one of Mary & Alton. The wedding took place at the uber cool Salvage One, which, with it's awesome signage and rustic, almost derelict, antique market interior provided the perfect backdrop to the event. Mary's vintage look was provided by local Chicago design Jess Audey who custom made her beautiful dress and Antje Kastner at Tigerlilie who did her retro/rockabilly style hair and make up.
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Make Jewellery Magazine – June 2010

Kat

May 7, 2010

For those of you who enjoyed my outing in Sew Magazine two months ago (and I know a bunch of you did - one Rock n Roll Bride in The States even contacted the editor to get a copy shipped over - wow!) should enjoy my next bit of press, this time Make Jewellery Magazine! I was contacted by them soon after the Sew feature came out as they too were running a wedding special and wanted me to help them with ideas, inspiration and to put them in touch with some brides who did it themselves when it came to their wedding day gems. So not only does this magazine feature a little section on yours truly, but it also features past Rock n Roll Bride blogged beauties Rachel, Jennifer, Hannah & Kristi!
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Rock n Roll Sophistication

Kat

May 4, 2010

Rita & Hai's wedding portraits had me at hello. From her incredible summer dress from Barney's CO OP that was altered to be a wedding dress, to her flower sash which was custom made by Pish Posh on Etsy and her Diba shoes from Nordstrom. Her bridesmaids wore beautiful silk chiffon Taryn dresses from J Crew and Hai donned a Michael Kors suit with a Burberry tie, J Crew socks and Converse All Stars. The whole thing just screams Rock n Roll sophistication!
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A Bride in Boots

Kat

April 26, 2010

Oh Dan & Dayna you've made my day! What an awesome wedding and a fantastic story. I've been dying to share these all weekend! I knew this would be an awesome wedding in fact as soon a photographer Matthew told me that the bride was part of the Vaudeville Circus (you can see her in action here - far right in the white dress) "I wanted to have a rock-n-roll wedding that felt like Dan and I had our hands all over" explained Dayna "I spent a lot of time pouring over wedding blogs and getting inspiration from cool brides. I picked themes that we both loved like reading, hence the book center pieces and framed quotes from our favorite authors, Fall and the month of October (the colors and flowers), simple down home (and cheap!) mason jars as vases. All of our music the entire day was hand picked and never 'traditional': wedding procession we had our friend play the ukulele, bridal march was Cat Powers "Sea of Love" (followed by The Honeydrippers "Sea of Love" for our first dance), our walk as husband and wife was Joey Ramone's "Wonderful World". Our flower girls wore homemade tutu's, leotards and ballet slippers. We had a drawing after dinner with silly gifts of our life so far (a DVD of the first movie we saw, a pint glass from the restaurant where we met, a dvd of "It's a Wonderful Life" cuz we're nerds and watch it every year...). It was a rockin' day for sure!"
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Holga, Music & Diy A-Plenty

Kat

April 22, 2010

Oh how I love a holga-photographed wedding! I can't help but applaud a couple who take the risk with such a camera...I tried my hand at holga photography a while back and promptly gave up! Katie & Kevin had a perfectly personal diy wedding. Katie loves crafting and so made everything, and I mean everything, herself. One of my favourite bits had to be the hand-dyed coffee filters used as hanging paper 'flowers'. She also made the felt bouquet and the groomsmen's custom cuff links herself too!
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A Little Bit of Rock n Roll Magic

Kat

April 21, 2010

I've got another Luella's Boudoir-related post for you now (can to tell I'm excited about tonight?!) Becci & Mark's wedding is a pretty special one, for more reason than one. Not only did the pair find their photographer David McNeil through Rock n Roll Bride, but Becci also found and discovered the amazing vintage jewellery experts, Magpie Vintage. Who wouldn't fall in love with their amazing designs after all!? As a DIY bride (Becci's made her own dress from an original 1930's pattern as well as her flowers and all the decor and details for their wedding) unfortunately the jewellery pieces she fell in love with were slightly out of her price range. However with a little bit of Rock n Roll Bride magic I was able to pull a few strings for her and the lovely ladies at Magpie Vintage were kind enough to lend her the gorgeous headband and necklace you see her wearing! How amazing is that?!
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Jen & Bijan’s Multicultural, Diy, Totally Personal, Un-traditional Wedding

Kat

April 16, 2010

Can you imagine my excitment when Jen & Bijan amazing wedding landed in my inbox? Jen, the bride began her email "I am an American living in Berlin, and recently married. My husband,Bijan, is German-Irani, and I think our wedding was as multi-cultural and untraditional as we are." I was smitten...and their story just makes it even better. "My background in event planning for President Obama (!) and Vice President Biden came in very handy for a diy wedding" Jen told me. "Bijan and I haven't been to many weddings, nor have we been married before, so we kind of made a lot of stuff up as we went along. The actual ceremony was on Friday, March 26, and the reception was the following day. My best friend, Scout Tufankjian, is a photojournalist and doesn't actually usually do weddings but as her gift to us she agreed to be our wedding photographer. Bijan is born and raised here in Berlin, and we really wanted our photos to reflect our everyday life and the things we love about Berlin. The graffiti pictures are taken along an old section of the Berlin Wall called the "East Side Gallery," and was one of the places Bijan took me on my first day here. With his Persian background, he has always been a fan of shisha (flavored tobacco smoked out of a water pipe)- I also share his love for it, and on our way to the party, we decided to take a break for ourselves and get a smoke at our favorite shisha cafe. We were also starving, so we stopped at our favorite neighborhood schawarma place, Habibi's, for a bite to eat.
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